Journalism

Australian Asylum Policies: Resettling Refugees in Papua New Guinea

I have recently spent six weeks in the city of Lae in Papua New Guinea, with unique access to the first group of refugees resettled from Manus Island, and have been able to experience their resettled life first-hand.

I have written an article that was published in THE GUARDIAN newspaper, and have given a number of radio interviews – you can read and listen below.

“I have witnessed the total lack of mental support and infrastructure provided to these men, who – fresh from the trauma of their time in detention – have been left to fend for themselves far away from media scrutiny and the national spotlight. I have also witnessed scenes of despair and disillusionment as they realise the reality of their “resettled” life is very different from what they were led to believe, and at odds with the hollow rhetoric and political spin that is being fed to the Australian public. Papua New Guinea is an extraordinary country very close to my heart, but I can say with absolute surety that it is not an appropriate country in which to resettle refugees.”

(Excerpt – Resettling Refugees in Papua New Guinea: A tragic theatre of the absurd | The Guardian Newspaper | David Fedele | 20th May 2016).
Read full article below.